"How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed'? Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.'" - Carl Sagan

"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection." - Henri Poincaré

Ashley and I have started watching Star Trek from the beginning again! We've watched the restored pilot episode (with Jeffrey Hunter as Christopher Pike) and we're going to watch the original series in order, like we once planned to do.

Last time we tried, I got frustrated and gave up because halfway through the second season, Ashley told me she had slept through the majority of the series. It was supposed to be something we could enjoy together. That's why I bought the DVDs. She was the one who introduced me to Star Trek in the first place, but she slept through it all.

This time she promises not to do that, provided I make her a cup of tea beforehand. The fact that the TV isn't working properly and we're sitting in hard wooden chairs in front of my laptop to watch it will probably help, as she won't be able to get comfortable enough to sleep.

The original pilot is my favorite of the classic series .Others in my top ten include , in no particular order : *damm* I forgot ... it was written by Harlan Ellison , Joan Collins was in it , you know ... that one .

- The one with Landrew or lando . - The one with Sawbones' ex- squeeze who craves salty snacks . - The Tholian Web - The one with the pushy librarian and Mariette Hartly barely holding up furs . - The one with Trelaine . - The one with the witch and wizard type characters , I think there was a black cat as well . - The one with the black cat and Gary Seven or was it Severn ? I think he had a sonic screwdriver . - And there is one more that I like to watch often .I don't recall it right now .

*damm* I forgot ... it was written by Harlan Ellison , Joan Collins was in it , you know ... that one - The City on the Edge of Forever

The one with Landrew or lando - The Return of the Archons (it was Landru)

The one with Sawbones' ex- squeeze who craves salty snacks - The Man Trap

The Tholian Web - Good episode, yeah.

The one with the pushy librarian and Mariette Hartly barely holding up furs - All Our Yesterdays

The one with Trelaine - The Squire of Gothos (according to EU ST lore, a progeny of Q)

The one with the witch and wizard type characters , I think there was a black cat as well - Catspaw

The one with the black cat and Gary Seven. I think he had a sonic screwdriver - Assignment Earth

/Star Trek Nerd

Brilliant stuff. There was also a great episode of the original Star Trek where they beamed down to a planet which somehow made them act out dangerous fantasies eg Kirk had a massive punch up with an Irish bloke and McCoy had to battle a Knight in armour.

The smoke wafted gently in the breeze across the poop deck and all seemed right in the world.

What was the one where [flat-ish, sticky-ish, organic things] fell on Kirk, Spock, (and either Bones or Crewman #6) from cavern ceilings and ... IIRC ... they staggered around dying of sound waves? My younger brother and I had a friendly competition to see who could stagger around dying most convincingly of sound waves during the next commercial break.

I will honor Monkey in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.~Charles "Darwin" Dickens

pieces o'nine wrote:What was the one where [flat-ish, sticky-ish, organic things] fell on Kirk, Spock, (and either Bones or Crewman #6) from cavern ceilings and ... IIRC ... they staggered around dying of sound waves? My younger brother and I had a friendly competition to see who could stagger around dying most convincingly of sound waves during the next commercial break.

In my attempt to find an image of that episode I stumbled upon this!!!!!

...and people wonder why we won't let Turkey join the EU!

I love the way they beam down to Ephesus as a location.

The smoke wafted gently in the breeze across the poop deck and all seemed right in the world.

*bows* There are so many great episodes in TOS, that it's difficult to pick any one as standing out from the crowd. I know it looks so very old now, but I grew up watching re-runs on BBC2, so I have a very soft spot for it, as well as so many other older US sci-fi shows, such as Lost in Space, and Land of the Giants (for some bizarre reason, I remember that the giants used a base 5 number system). Trek is very much in my blood. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Roland Deschain - Half prophet, half gunslinger, all Pastafarian!

"Since Alexander Pearce escaped, over 250 people have disappeared in the Tasmanian wilderness. No remains have ever been found." - Dying Breed

Great fun ! The first season black and whites were the best (IMHO) , the later episodes centered more on Professor Smith ( love his whining , his deviousness , and the way he screams like a wee girl when in peril ) and Will for too much for my liking . Robot was and still is my favorite from the show .

My memory is telling me that the artist and illustrator , Carl Barks , had some hand in the creation of the show . I love Carl Barks , he created Uncle Scrooge McDuck as well as numerous other characters . He was the only Disney artist allowed to use the corporation's Duck characters to produce paintings for whatever use he desired . They did rescind that privilege but after he had produced many vibrant whimsical paintings .I loved them so much that I reproduced many to hang on my walls or as gifts to friends .As gifts they went over very , very well .I have many draft copies on hold for the past 12 years , they have been drafted out the old fashioned way and are waiting for oil or acrylic .

Pics to come when they're done . I'll get to them in a few more years , cat will not let me paint , draw or use a computer .

BTW Bart , that's an awesome find ! I wonder how old that Turkish version is ? I always loved the old series for the skimpy outfits the women wear .

*damm* I forgot ... it was written by Harlan Ellison , Joan Collins was in it , you know ... that one - The City on the Edge of Forever

The one with Landrew or lando - The Return of the Archons (it was Landru)

The one with Sawbones' ex- squeeze who craves salty snacks - The Man Trap

The Tholian Web - Good episode, yeah.

The one with the pushy librarian and Mariette Hartly barely holding up furs - All Our Yesterdays

The one with Trelaine - The Squire of Gothos (according to EU ST lore, a progeny of Q)

The one with the witch and wizard type characters , I think there was a black cat as well - Catspaw

The one with the black cat and Gary Seven. I think he had a sonic screwdriver - Assignment Earth

/Star Trek Nerd

Brilliant stuff. There was also a great episode of the original Star Trek where they beamed down to a planet which somehow made them act out dangerous fantasies eg Kirk had a massive punch up with an Irish bloke and McCoy had to battle a Knight in armour.

watching TOS one can very quickly distinguish two prominent categories of episodes:- The crew encounters some sort of godlike entity that is after 40 minutes or so promptly vanquished- The crew encouters some civilisation with remarkable similarities with an earth culture.

The klingon/romulan/diplomatic episodes usually has higher quality than those.

Disclaimer: Anything I say on topics of Politics, Economics, Pychology, History, really anything not concerned with the natural sciences and mathematics and especially topics concerning human behavior and/or thoughts, that is not associated with a proper reference is pure speculation on my part.

That's pretty much it, Gronank, but Gene Roddenberry wanted to be able to use TOS to openly discuss relevant issues on our planet without them seeming too obvious, hence the sci-fi medium. He tackled all forms of bigotry, even filming the first inter-ethnic kiss (Kirk/Uhura). Both actors also really wanted this to happen (I don't blame Shatner, as Nichelle Nichols was sexy back in the day), even to the point of sabotaging far tamer versions filmed afterwards (studio execs getting uppity). What other programme on TV at that time had a non-human, a Russian, a Japanese person, and a black woman in positions of authority? None. TOS set the bar, and it set it damn high.

Roland Deschain - Half prophet, half gunslinger, all Pastafarian!

"Since Alexander Pearce escaped, over 250 people have disappeared in the Tasmanian wilderness. No remains have ever been found." - Dying Breed